I'm navigating through this round world while living a square life, and it fits exactly as it should.

Things I Like Thursday–FOE Hair Ties

by Melanie Adams on June 6, 2013

As a runner, one thing that is very important, especially in the summer, is getting and keeping my hair out of my eyes and away from my face. My hair is about medium length, but the only time I ever wear it pulled back is when I’m running or doing other physical activities. The problem with traditional hair fasteners is they tend to break your hair, which is not good for me since I wear it down most of the time. I recently have been introduced to fold over elastic hair ties, which solves the breakage problem.

Fold over elastic (FOE, for short) was created to be a trim or a binder for edges of fabrics. It has a line down the middle for easy folding, so you fold it over the edge of your fabric, sew it on, and you’re done. Then someone realized its softness made for great baby head bands. Baby head bands led to adult head bands, which led to hair ties. I’m really not completely sure of the exact chronology of events, but this seems logical in my mind.

If you buy FOE hair ties in a store, they can be kind of costly. They cost almost nothing to make, though, and they are a snap! First of all, get yourself some FOE in whatever color(s) you want.

Fold Over Elastic–it comes in all different colors!

I find the internet, specifically Etsy, to be an excellent source for this. Then you just need to cut it in 10 inch lengths.

10 inches of FOE

Yes, I know that sounds long but once you fold it in half and tie it off, you really need that much. This leads to the next step, which is, you fold it in half and tie it off. Just loop it around your finger and make a simple knot for this. Easy peasy! At this point, the only other thing you need to do is heat-seal the ends. I know this sounds scary, but it’s really easy. Just light a match or a lighter, hold the flame really close to the edge, as close as you can get it without catching it on fire.

You need a match or a lighter to heat-seal the ends.

You will see the edges start to melt a bit, and that’s it! That’s all there is to heat-sealing. If you do happen to catch it on fire, no biggie. Just blow out the flame, trim the ends, and go again.

FOE burnt ends, oops!

You could also heat-seal the ends before tying them off, if you wanted to. I’ve done it both ways, and really, it makes no difference. In fact, I’m pretty sure I sealed the ends before tying when I took the pics you see here.

The finished product, made in less than 30 minutes, probably more like 15.

So, if you are like me and love the FOE hair ties, do yourself a favor. Get yourself some FOE, take about 20 minutes to make a bunch, and save yourself some money! They also make great gifts. I’ve actually made more to give away than I’ve made for myself.